Misfortunes of Love
by Dept.Of.Redundancy.Dept
Summary: The story of the rise and demise of Ellie and Jake's relationship told by none other than Jake Malloy. A series of Oneshots.
1. Meeting Ellie Bishop

Jake Malloy was running late for his meeting. Very late. I wasn't quite his fault, though. His alarm clock didn't go off despite the fact he could have sworn he had turned it on the night before. After rushing to get dressed, Jake's car wouldn't start and it took him several tries to finally get the engine to work. At the stoplight, the car before him took too long to turn meaning that Jake had to wait another five minutes for the light to turn green again. On top of all that, the normal road that he took to work was closed forcing Jake to take an unexpected detour. By the time he got to the NSA office, his watch told him that it was eight minutes to nine. Jake figure if he hurried, he would have enough time to grab his files from his desk and make it to the meeting room on the other side of the building with a minute to spare. Jake had just snagged the files from his works space and was making his way to the staircase when he saw her.

She was sitting on the floor. Yes, the floor which Jake found perplexing considering all the empty desks that surrounded her. All of her work was splayed on the ground around her and she had earbuds in her ears. Her facial features were delicate, almost doll-like in a way. Her hair was the color of gold and it bounced around her face as she bobbed her head up and down to the music. Other people were staring at her as well, but she was either too engrossed in her work to notice them or she _did_ notice them and just didn't care what they thought about her. Jake couldn't tell which response he admired more.

As Jake watched her, he could feel the time slipping past, yet he couldn't bring himself to look away. There was something about her that made him want to watch every little movement that she made and he didn't want to miss out on a single second. Suddenly, as if she sensed his eyes on her, the woman looked up. For some reason she didn't seem to be weirded out that he was staring at her. No, in fact she even smiled. A bright toothy smile that reached all the way up to her warm brown eyes. It wasn't much, but it was enough to make Jake's heart speed up all the same. As the two watched each other, Jake felt the files slip from his hand and he quickly scrambled to pick them up, dropping them a couple more times in the process. Jake could feel his face reddening and before he could embarrass himself any further, he turned on his heel and began making his way toward the stairs as fast as his legs could take him. Needless to say, Jake was late for that meeting.

* * *

This happened every day for the rest of the week. Jake tried to become better at hiding his observing. He would pretend to talk to a co-worker nearby her and he walked past the room several times a day, even if it was completely out of his way. A few times he sat at one of the empty desks and stole glances at her every so often as he did his work.

He began to notice things about her, such as she liked to eat food while she did her work. She would take a bite out of a candy bar or a sandwich or a potato chip and then close her eyes for a moment before picking up her pen and scribbling something down. He noticed that she listened to music constantly when she worked and sometimes she would mouth the words as she flipped through the pages of her files. He noticed that she smiled a lot, often flashing one at anyone who stopped to talked to her. A few times Jake caught her eye, but he quickly averted his gaze before she could say anything. It was the day that he was peering at her from behind a door that she finally spoke to him.

"I can see you, you know," she called out, taking out her earbuds. Jake froze, but she continued to speak. "If you want to talk to me you can just come over and say hi, you know. I promise I don't bite." Jake slipped out from his hiding place, a sheepish smile plastered on his face. He wiped his hands on the front of his pants before walking over to where the woman sat.

"Hi," he said when he reached her. "I'm Jacob Malloy. My friends call me Jake, though. And people who aren't really my friends too, I guess. And my parents. Not my grandmother though. She calls me Jacob. But you can call me Jake. Jake Malloy." The woman looked up at him with a raised eyebrow and Jake mentally kicked himself for being so lame. He could feel his face warm and his armpits begin to moisten with sweat and his heart was pounding so hard that for a moment he wondered if _she_ could hear it. How could it be that he was an attorney for the National Security Agency, a man who thrived on speaking in front of people, yet the moment he tried to talk to a cute girl, all of that went out the window?

The woman didn't seem to mind, though. She reached her hand out and it took Jake a moment to realize that she wanted him to help her up. He did so and he immediately realized how soft and small her hand felt in his own. He hoped that his hands weren't too clammy. The moment she was standing, Jake let go of her hand and watched as it fell to her side.

"Well, I guess it's nice to finally have a name to the face that's been stalking me all week," she said.

"I-I...I wasn't...I didn't mean to…" Jake stopped stammering when he saw that her lips were turned up into a slight smirk. She was only teasing him. He let out a nervous chuckle and the woman reached out her hand again, only this time to shake Jake's.

"I'm Ellie. Ellie Bishop. It's nice to meet you, Jake Malloy."


	2. First Date

Jake could easily remember their first date. It wasn't anything huge or elaborate, but the memory of it still made him smile. After weeks of talking during lunch breaks and while passing each other in the hallways, Jake suggested that they grab lunch at a small cafe not far from the office. He was elated when she agreed.

They decided to drive to the restaurant together. As soon as the clock hit noon, Jake gathered his belongings and headed to his car. Just before he stepped out of the building doors, he took a moment to calm his nerves. _Breath in. Breath out. Don't pass out._ Once his heart stopped racing long enough to breath normally, Jake wiped his sweaty hands on the sides of his pants and then pushed open the door that lead to the parking lot. The sun shone right in his face and he had to squint to see Ellie leaning against the passenger side door of his car.

"Took you long enough," she said shooting him a playful smile.

"Maybe you're just early." Jake rushed over and opened her door for her before walking over to his own side and getting into the car. Even though the car ride was short, Ellie insisted on turning on the radio. She turned the radio to some station that Jake had never heard of and began singing along to one of the songs. Her voice was light and airy and Jake found himself wanting to hear more, but they reached the restaurant before the song was over.

The cafe was crowded due to the lunch rush, but the pair was able to find a small table in the back corner by a window. The waitress came and took their order; Jake ordered a salad and was surprised when Ellie also ordered a salad along with a sandwich, the soup of the day, a biscuit, some french fries, and a side of fruit.

"Wow, you are...really hungry," Jake said as he handed the waitress back the menus.

He noticed that Ellie's cheeks were slightly red as if she was embarrassed that she was eating more food than him.

"I mean, I don't mean it as a bad thing," Jake continued. "I was just making an observation." The two fell silent and the roar of the conversation around them suddenly seemed suffocating. Jake watched as Ellie fiddled with her fingers and he began to wrack his brain for something else to say.

 _I like your blouse?_ No, that was too generic. _What's your second favorite color?_ Way too random. _Would ever ever consider-_

"So, why law, Jake?" The question broke Jake out of his thoughts and caught him off guard.

"Pardon me?"

"What made you want to become a lawyer?" She looked up from her fingers and the intensity in her eyes made Jake squirm in his seat.

"Well...I guess my father had some influence on me. He was a lawyer, so I grew up learning everything about the profession. When it was time for me to graduate college, I didn't really know what I wanted to do, so I went to law school. My father wasn't super happy about me joining the NSA, though. He wanted me to go work in a large law firm. He was always said that's where all the money is." Jake stopped talking and noticed that Ellie was staring at him, her brown eyes filled with interest. At first he was embarrassed; He realized going off about his family problems on the first date probably wasn't making a good impression, but he also was shocked in how easily he had been able to tell Ellie about it, even though he barely knew her. When she didn't reply, Jake cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry. That was probably a bit deeper than what you were expecting."

Ellie paused for a moment. "Are you happy working at the NSA, Jake?" she finally said. The sentence came out slowly as if she were weighing the importance of each word in her head.

"Sure...I'm mean I... yes. I am."

"Then you made the right choice." She gave him a small smile and before either of them could say anything else, their food arrived. Surprisingly, Ellie was able to finish every single bit of food that she had ordered. They talked about light topics for the rest of the meal. How was she enjoying the NSA? Where was the best places to order pizza? Jake even managed to sneak in the question about her second favorite color and he was pleased that she didn't seem to think it was weird of him to ask. By the time they placed their order for dessert, Jake felt comfortable enough to push the conversation further.

"So, where are you from? I can't believe I haven't already asked you this."

"I'm from Oklahoma!"

"Really?"

"Yeah. My family lives out in the country," Ellie said. Her lips were twisted into a slight smile and her voice had a dreamy quality to it. "It's really nice. The town is small and everyone knows everyone, which I know some people find sort of annoying, but I love it. There's also lot's of empty space where me and my three older brothers liked to play when we were younger."

" _Three_ older brothers?"

"Uh-huh," she nodded.

"Do you ever go back?"

"Not as often as I would like," she sighed. "It's kind of hard to just drop everything and just go, especially with work, you know?"

"Why did you leave Oklahoma if you miss it so much?" Jake asked. " What made you come all the way to DC?"

Ellie stopped chewing on her food as she took a moment to mull over the question. As she thought, her eyes began to drift toward the window where people were bustling around on the sidewalk. Couples were holding hands, people were walking their dogs, and kids were running around as their parents called for them to come back. Jake watched her eyes and noticed that she was watching a specific mother who was pushing a stroller with one hand and clutching the hand of a little boy with the other. The boy was about two years old and he was smiling and jumping as he swung on his mother's arm.

What happened next felt almost like it was in slow motion. Jake and Ellie watched as the boy tripped over his shoelaces. His mother tried to hold on to his hand, but the boy slipped from her grasp and he landed on the ground at full force. There was a split moment before the before he started to bawl, his tearful shrieks filling the air. But before anyone could make a move, a teenage boy stooped down to help the kid up. A stranger from the looks of it. He gently brushed off the dirt from the boy's knees and elbows and he wiped the tears from the kid's cheeks. The teenager then leaned in to say something to the toddler and the kid broke out into a fit of giggles.

Jake looked back at Ellie and she appeared to be so transfixed on the scene playing out in front of her that Jake wondered if she even remembered that he had asked her a question. Jake was about to ask her again when she turned her head back towards him and spoke.

"I came to the NSA for the same reason you did," she said. "For the same reason any of us did, I assume. I wanted to help people. I want to make a difference in people's lives. Simple as that."

As those words left Ellie's mouth, the waitress came back with their dessert: ice cream for Jake and chocolate cake for Ellie. Jake watched her as she began to dig into her food and it was that moment he decided that he was in love.


	3. Drinking Game

" _I don't get drunk. Just ask my husband."_

The first time Ellie told Jake that she couldn't get drunk, he found it hard to believe her.

"You mean that you don't get drunk very easily," he said.

"No, I mean that I don't get drunk. Like at all," Ellie corrected him. "I tried a couple of times in college, but it just never happened." For a week straight Jake tried to get that statement out of his head, but he just couldn't.

 _How can someone just not get drunk?_ After days of wracking his brain, Jake decided to try something.

"Ellie?" he said one night. It was after dinner and Jake was sprawled out on the sofa reading a book while Ellie was curled up next to him doing a crossword puzzle. She finished writing something down in her book before she lifted up her head to look at him.

"Yeah?"

"Why don't we do something fun tonight," Jake said. He watched as Ellie put down her pencil and lifted an eyebrow."

"What do you have in mind?" she asked.

"Well...Why don't we watch a movie."

"A movie?"

"Yeah. We could watch any movie that you want," Jake said.

"Why do I have a feeling that you don't _only_ want to watch a movie?" Ellie asked.

"Why would you say that?"

"Because you have that look on your face," she said.

"What look?"

"The same look that you had when we went to the zoo that one time and you wanted to-"

"Why don't we watch a movie and turn it into a drinking game?" Jake blurted. Ellie closed her book and leaned back against the sofa.

"This is about the 'not getting drunk thing', right?" She shook her head. "I had a feeling you wouldn't let it go."

"It-it's not that," Jake sputtered. "I just…"

"You know what? Let's do it," Ellie said. She had a small smile on her face and it was full of...amusement? Confidence? Pride? Jake couldn't quite tell, but he certainly knew he didn't want to let the opportunity slip away from him.

That's how he found himself with Ellie at a Redbox machine at the nearby grocery store twenty minutes later. Jake watched as she scanned her eyes across all the available titles, and he could could practically see her brain straining as she contemplated the pros and cons of each movie. Which one would give her the upper hand? Which one would lead her to victory? Jake stifled a complaint when Ellie finally decided on a romantic comedy. It was called _Forever Love_ and the cover looked so cheesy, Jake could practically taste it in his mouth.

"Every time we hear the word love," Ellie said, "We take a shot."

* * *

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Ellie asked later that night. The movie was cued up to play on the TV and two shot glasses and a bottle of liquor sat on the coffee table. The amber liquid looked almost menacing to Jake. They agreed to take partial shots as neither Jake nor Ellie felt like spending the night in the emergency room. For a moment Jake felt a jolt of nervousness in his stomach. Ellie had a familiar look plastered on her face. Eyebrows raised. Lips turned up into a smirk. The face of heavy determination. Even if Jake wanted to, he knew he couldn't back down from this challenge without facing the embarrassing consequences.

"I'm ready," he said. "Let's see what you're made of."

* * *

It had been almost one hour and the word love had been said twelve times. Jake gripped the arm of the couch and watched his knuckles pale as he tried to ignore the ground swaying beneath his feet and the nausea building up in his stomach. Being drunk had been fun at first, but now Jake was almost tempted to swear off alcohol for the rest of his life. Taking a deep breath he turned his head and looked over at Ellie. She looked...completely normal. No flushed face or glassy eyes or sweaty skin. She was just sitting on the couch watching the movie as if she had been taking shots of pure water the past hour. Ellie looked over and then placed a hand on his knee.

"We can stop if you want," she said softly. She smiled, but her eyes were full of concern. Jake shook his head.

"There's still half an hour left," he slurred. In the background the main character professed his love to the barista. Again. Inwardly Jake groaned. Outwardly he reached for his glass, threw the liquid into his mouth, and winced when it burned his throat. Once he set the glass down, he tilted his head back against the couch and closed his eyes to stop the world from spinning. Jake felt Ellie rest her head on his shoulder and he fumbled to put her arm around her.

"You seriously weren't kidding," Jake mumbled.

"Nope." The movie played in the background, but Jake was no longer paying attention. Instead her focused on the scent of Ellie's hair and how she gently played with his fingers. The word love was said once again, but when Jake moved to take another drink, Ellie tightened her grip on his hand.

"I think I've proved my point, Jake," she whispered. "No need to torture yourself."

"I love you," Jake blurted. He didn't know what made him say it. Maybe it was the alcohol or maybe because he had heard the world 'love' twelve damn times in the past hour or maybe it was the way she was looking at him with such warmth and tenderness, but Jake opened his mouth and said the words, 'I love you.' He watched as her expression turned into a mixture of surprise and happiness and then, surprisingly, sadness.

"Jake...you're really drunk."

"So? Can't I be both? Can't I love you and also just happen to be drunk?" And as if that weren't bad enough, he kissed her. It was a slobbery, drunken, clumsy ordeal, yet, she didn't pull away. In fact, Ellie let him kiss her until her they both needed to come up for air. A soon as they pulled away, Jake opened his mouth to speak, but instead he ended up expelling his entire dinner into her lap.

Jakes whole body suddenly felt extremely warm and he knew it had nothing to do with the alcohol.

"I'm sorry, Ellie," Jake exclaimed. "I'm so, so sorry!"

"I'll be right back," she responded. She stood up and left the room and came back a few minutes later wearing a pair of jeans and an oversized sweatshirt. Ellie grabbed the remote from the coffee table and turned off the TV before she grabbed his arm and attempted to lift him up.

"Come on, Jake. Let's get you to bed."

"The movie's not over yet."

"Forget the movie." She pulled at his arm again and this time he obliged. He slumped against her and slowly they walked to the bedroom.

Jake tried again. "I'm sorry, Ellie."

"Shh...It's okay." She gently guided him to the bed and helped him lie down. Jake lay there as she carefully removed his button up shirt and his shoes and his socks. She took the glasses off his face and carefully set them on the night stand. Ellie sat on the edge of the bed and a moment later Jake could feel her fingers running through his hair in a soothing fashion. He felt to drunk to do anything, so he closed his eyes and enjoyed the calming sensation. The heaviness of sleep began to overwhelm Jake and he soon gave into the inviting feeling. Just as he was about to fall into unconsciousness, Ellie pressed her lips onto his cheek.

"For the record," she whispered into his ear. "I love you too, Jake."


End file.
